From the Local Iwi

Te Arawa Lakes Trust are excited by the opportunity to have the 23rd International Union Health Promotion and Education IUHPE World Health Promotion Conference held in our region.

As Chair of the Te Arawa Lakes Trust, I also represent the Te Arawa Confederation of Tribes. We are fully aware of the positive long term impact that a conference of this international significance can have on health promotion. Our ancestor Te Rotoruanui-a-Kahumatamomoe (Lake Rotorua), together with our esteemed mountain – Ngongotaha, would be privileged and honoured to welcome the conference guests from all corners of the globe. While the fourteen lakes in the Rotorua region are accredited as the iconic jewels of the nation, it is the visual splendour of Lake Rotorua (Kahumatamomoe), that will touch the minds, hearts and spiritual essence of all our conference manuhiri (visitors).

Significantly, hosting the conference in Aotearoa New Zealand will provide an opportunity to look at the work being undertaken in relation to indigenous Maori health and health promotion. We are aware of the work Health Promotion Forum (HPF) are doing to assist our efforts to improve the health for Maori, the work they are also doing within the global context. In Rotorua and in this region Maori play a significant role not only in health but across wider social dimensions including economic and cultural development, social development and education.

We welcome the opportunity to expose Rotorua, its people and its wonderful environment to the world under the auspices of an international health promotion conference and we look forward to assisting the Health Promotion Forum to ensure every success for the event.